DE1229618B - Switching relay with electrically conductive liquid contact surfaces - Google Patents

Description

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY

GERMAN

PATENT OFFICE

EDITORIAL

Int. Cl .:

Number:
File number:
Registration date:
Display day:

HOIh

German KL: 21c-33/02

F40583VIIId / 21c
August 26, 1963
!. December 1966

The invention relates to an electrical switching relay with a casing that is closed on all sides and within the same at least two contacts, at least one of which points towards the other and is movable, and two mutually insulated layers of electrically conductive liquid with strong Surface tension, such as mercury or the like, each of which is associated with a wettable contact stands, and with a magnetically actuated contact. Such switching relays are quite general used to close and open electrical circuits. The way such Liquid contact relay essentially takes place in that the movable contact or contacts be moved in such a way that an electrical circuit is closed or interrupted and thereby Mercury or another suitable contact liquid in the closed position between the contacts is held, while a separation of the contacts the breaking off of the electrical current flow by the contact fluid.

The usual mercury relays use a bulge in the tube as a container for the Mercury, with various arrangements to ensure that mercury between the contacts are stopped by refilling from this bulge. For example, can also the capillary effect can be exploited. Such switching relays have the disadvantage that a complete Insensitivity to layers is not guaranteed.

For each of the liquid contact switches enclosed in a corresponding cover, the Total inner surface of this envelope to the "conductive or wetted surface" in a certain ratio, where the term "conductive or wetted area" means the area covered by a layer of mercury is covered or immersed in mercury, regardless of whether all parts of this surface are actually are wettable by mercury. Such surfaces can be electrically conductive or non-conductive, this depends on the construction of the switch. They're usually submerged in mercury and not intended to provide insulation between the switching points when the switch is in the open position to build. In previously known such switches, this ratio was quite large, i. H. much bigger as 1.

The invention is based on the problem of, on the one hand, the insensitivity of such switching relays to positions ensure and, on the other hand, significantly reduce the aforementioned area ratio, namely to be reduced to about 1 and thus a possible switching relay with electrically conductive liquid contact surfaces

Applicant:

Fifth Dimension, Inc., Princeton, N.J. (V.St.A.)

Representative:

Dipl.-Ing. Dipl. Oec. publ. D. Lewinsky,
Patent attorney, Munich, Agnes-Bernauer-Str. 202

Named as inventor:

Erwin Donath, Princeton, N. J. (V. St. A.)

allows a small, unwetted area to be achieved, but therefore a layer of liquid on the switch contacts to be maintained over as long periods of time as possible.

The switching relay proposed here is sufficient for this versatile task Kind mainly in that, according to the invention, the wettable inner surface of the serving as an electrode Enclosure with the exception of one or two ring-shaped, non-wettable insulations, which Insulate the electrode inserted into the envelope from the former completely from the conductive liquid is covered in the form of a film and that a magnetically controllable electrode either as on the film of the envelope floating slide with wettable and non-wettable head part Flanks is provided which, when making contact with the wettable head of the stationary electrode, the films brings the sheath and the stationary electrode in connection, or as completely wettable, against the Covering deflectable magnetic nets. Such a switching relay works on the basis of this training practically impact-free and without resistance at the contacts. The switching relay processes high currents without noise and in no way destroys the waveform when switching. When switching on and off of a direct current are within the limits of visual observation of the waveform in a

609 729/308

Oscillograph generates perfectly square current waves. Thus, the present invention is extremely Sensitive switching relay created, which blocks itself and is still extremely insensitive compared to acceleration forces. Experience has shown that this can be done without any visible for many months Wear continuously carry out 60 operations per second. Such a switching relay has therefore an extremely long service life without noticeable wear with continuous switching operation, its dimensions can be kept extremely small and it absorbs strong currents or dry streams can process. It responds very easily, but works without impact and noiseless and is practically insensitive to shock and vibration.

The switching relays suggested here can be double or be formed on one side, d. H. as a pull and push switch or as a single-pole switch. at A bilateral relay there is a mechanism to make a contact in each of the two switching positions as the relay can be symmetrical about a center line. With a single pole Switch, which has only one movable and one stationary contact, the the former is designed as a slide, a return connection can be arranged to the slide open contact on a free mercury surface, which only in this state is trained. When the switch is in the closed position, the surface tension is maintained on the contacts these closed, so that a double-sided switch blocks itself in any state while a single-pole switch only blocks itself in the closed position. Preferably another mechanism can be provided to ensure that a single pole switch is in the open position blocked, for which purpose a free liquid surface is provided.

If there are two contacts in a mercury switch separate, the mercury is drawn between the contacts until the break occurs. At the moment of interruption, small droplets of mercury spray straight in all directions apart. If between the point of interruption and a non-wettable insulating surface, which is required for isolation between the contacts in the open position, is not an obstacle is present, the mercury can reach such an area. Therefore, according to the invention the contacts opposite the insulating surface are arranged in this way, or the interior design of the switch is designed in such a way that a free linear path between the interruption point and the insulating surface consists. All such free paths can end on layers of mercury, so that mercury, which splatters apart by breaking a column of mercury, directly and without any other mechanism is required for this, is caught again by a layer of mercury.

In the drawing, switching relays are according to the invention proposed type in several exemplary selected embodiments schematically illustrated. It shows

Fig. 1 shows a cross section of a first embodiment a switching relay according to the invention,

2 shows a section through a somewhat modified embodiment,

Fig. 3 shows a section through a NachfüÜkanal / as in connection with the embodiment according to F i g. 1 is used,
4 shows two contacts lying opposite one another on a greatly enlarged scale as a detail from the arrangement according to FIG. 1, with a refill channel being shown in particular,

Fig. 5 is a section through an oscillating relay, which the individual structural features from FIG. 2 used, and

F i g. 6 to 8 individual switch positions according to a single-pole version of the switch or relay Fig. 1, namely Fig. 6 in the open state, F i g. 7 in the intermediate layer and FIG. 8 in closed State.

The switch according to the invention shown in the drawing has a metallic casing 10, which is wettable on its inner surface and is generally in the form of a tube 11 with both-

ao side open ends 12 and 13 has. For connecting the switch to the relevant circuit forms the casing 10, which is made for example of platinum, the one contact or electrode of the switch. The open ends 12 and 13 are surrounded by non-wettable insulating rings 14 and 15 sealed, through which axially round-nosed wettable metal contacts 16 and 17 are passed. The latter can have a circular cross-section, and the insulating rings 14,15, which are preferably made of glass exist, form a seal between the metal contacts 16, 17 and the open ends 12, 13 of the Rohrs 11. The surface of the insulating rings 14, 15 within the envelope 10 is opposite to the entire Inner surface of the container small and convex shaped to prevent mercury build-up. The insulator area preferably occupies 5% of the total inner area, which value, however does not necessarily need to be adhered to. In the casing 10 is a movable contact or electrode acting slide 18 is provided which is slidable within the tube 11, such as the the same length as this and consists of non-wettable material except for its two ends. There is a small amount of mercury within the envelope 10. The surfaces of the envelope 10 and the metal contacts 16, 17 within the same as well as the ends of the slide 18 are from Mercury wettable. The insulating rings 14, 15 and the sliding surface of the slide 18 between its ends are not wettable by mercury. A slot or groove 20 in the surface of the slide 18 runs from one end to the other.

The total amount of mercury which is used for the switch is chosen so that the training an accumulation of mercury other than a thin layer of mercury attached to the wettable Surfaces adheres, is avoided. In the drawings, the individual mercury layers 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 26 a and the non-wettable surfaces 27, 28, 29 can be seen.

Coils 30 a and 30 b, which can be fed with an excitation current via terminals 31 a and 31 b, are wound around the tube 11. The slide 18 is made of magnetic material or has at least a core made of such a material. Its length is symmetrical to the coils 30 a and 30 b when it is evenly removed from the contacts 16 and 17. The slide 18 is

5 6

Movable within the tube 11 and can each arrange which serves to remove mercury from the

with one of the metal contacts 16 and 17 in a resting area above the non-wettable part of the slide

tion can be brought. When the slide is to transport its 18 to the wettable ends. the

right or, as in FIG. 1, its left-hand position. Groove20 can be deep and non-wettable and one

has taken, then by optional excitation 5 wire 20 a made of platinum can contain, which has a flow

the coil 30α or 30δ forms the slide in the other way for the mercury (Fig. 3). The wire

Able to be moved. The slide 18 can move to 20 a has no contact with the sliding surface of the

this way alternately on the metal contact 16 casing 10, so that additional friction

or 17, depending on which coils 3Oe and 30 δ are avoided.

supplied electricity. If the slide 18 by io. In the embodiment according to FIG. 2 is a short cylinder Impulse is to be actuated, the actuating, inside wettable tube 50 with a supply coil symmetrical to the middle position of the narrower, closed end and one flared end arranged. The slide 18 can expediently be provided with an open end. This tube 50 can usually have a diameter of about 0.5 mm and are made of platinum. There is an isoeine in the open end Have a length of about 2.5 mm. 15 Herring 51 and in this an anchor 52 with a

Since the sliding surface of the slide 18 is pushed in by the Mercury tongue 53, which is axially to the tube 50

silver cannot be wetted, on the other hand the sliding surface of the close, closed end runs. the

The tube is wettable by mercury, the tongue 53 slides and the armature 52 are just like the

Slide through without friction or adhesive forces on the exposed inner surface of the tube 50

a layer of mercury. At its low level, it is wettable with mercury. The insulating ring 51 is from

The slide can move from one to the other. Mercury is not wettable and has a convex shape

With a brief current surge (approx. 1 ms), it is applied to surface 51a in order to avoid an accumulation of

to prevent mercury from being removed via the coils 30 a, 30 δ. Inside the tube

will give, with only a total energy of less than 50, only so much mercury is provided to

less than 600 microwatt seconds is required. The 25 a thin layer of mercury on the wettable

The response time is therefore extremely short. To yield surfaces. Nowhere can there be so much

Contact is always made or under- mercury build up that short circuit across the

broke through a mercury layer, which is insulating ring 51.

collects on the wettable metal contacts. Besides the outer end of the armature 52 is a by it follows that the contact is extremely sharp and 30 permanent magnet 54 is arranged, the north pole on suddenly happened. How anchor 52 is attached to an oscilloscope. The Magnetsatze 53 thus has the the current flow is through the same polarity. A U-shaped magnetic switch A regular square wave with sharp anchors 55 extends from the south pole of the permanent magnet corner without any curvature. The internal resistance th 54 to its pole ends 56 and 57, which are next to of the contact is almost zero and the switch 35 is located at the end of the tube 50 at which extremely low noise even for dry streams. this envelops the tongue. A film of mercury

The weight of the slide 18 is opposite to the cylindrical shape surrounding the end of the tongue 53.

The surface tension of the mercury selected so that the pole ends 56 and 57 of the armature 55 form

that if there was ever a contact between the south pole, it would have an effect on the north polarized

About and one of the fixed contacts made 40 tongue are aligned. The arms of the armature

is, the surface tension of the mercury between 55 carry excitation coils 59 and 60, which

between the metallic contacts the slider brings the magnetic field out of balance,

holds on to this situation. The relay acts in this way with the tongue 53 in one direction or another.

as a self-locking relay, since the mass of the tion is moved and thereby with the tube 50

Slide 18 against the surface forces of the 45 contact there, so that a circuit through the

Mercury is so low that even strong impacts of the mercury film are closed through,

or shocks the adhesive force between the die in the system of FIG. 2 applied

cannot turn off the contacts. The un- principles for mercury switches can also be entirely

networkable character of the insulating surfaces and the in-general as a condition are emphasized, d. H.,

ability of the device _{to avoid a free accumulation of 50} accumulations of mercury.

To form mercury, ensure the insulation. The total content of the tube 50 is very small and

between the slide 18 and the fixed is almost entirely occupied by contacts, the

Contacts. Ratio of wettable to non-wettable area

The layers of mercury on the wetted area are very large, i. H. 25: 1, the unwettable area

areas are always to be refilled. The arrangement 55 forms the insulation, and the mercury used

the device according to the invention releases this amount of silver is just sufficient to

"Refill problem" automatically, in such a way that when the required mercury layers are formed,

each time the switch is pressed, the d. i.e., to keep the wettable surfaces straight

Mercury stream takes place. That means when cover.

contact 16 has too little mercury to reduce 60. Other fluids can also be used as contact fluids.

To complete its layer, mercury can contain liquids such as mercury or mercury amalgan

drain from the end of the slide 18 to be used. In the system of FIG. 2 can

Layer to fill up again, while, if to- the actuation of the tongue 53 also by a

If there is a lot of mercury at the contact, this pulse can be generated by one of the excitation coils 59, 60

flow towards the ends of the slide 18. 65 is issued, with the blocking of the tongue in a

To facilitate the compensation of the mercury switch position partly through the surface chip film within the envelope 10 is the axial constriction of the mercury and partly due to nonconformities Groove 20 in the body of the slide 18 is achieved due to the permanent magnetic field.

AJ's typical uses of tongue xelais are Consider resonance or continuously vibrating relays. The structure according to FIG. 2 can for can be used for this purpose, as shown in FIG. 5 shows by a permanent magnet 54 α in the manner shown is arranged, which generates a north pole and a south pole at the pole ends 56 and 57 of the armature. If alternating current is used, an excitation coil 63 can alternately repolarize the tongue 53 and allow them to be attracted or repelled alternately by the pole ends 56 and 57, respectively. If the tongue 53 is mechanically resonant in accordance with the excitation frequency, the system can work as a resonant reed relay.

In the F i g. 6, 7 and 8, a single-pole relay corresponding to the structure of the double-pole relay according to FIG. 1 is shown. Here, a cylindrical slide 18 is provided with a groove 20 and a wire 20 a contained therein. The ends of the slide 18 can be wetted by mercury, but not the body of the slide or the walls of the groove 20. The slide 18 is arranged within a cylindrical metal tube 10a which forms one electrode of the switch. This tube 10 α is closed at one end 10 b , namely by the metal of the tube 10 α itself, while the other end has an insulating ring 70 which carries a centrally attached stationary electrode or a contact 16, the inner end of which as in Fig. 1 von.Quecksilber is wettable. The tube 10α is surrounded by coils 30 α and 30 b ; since the slide 18 is made of magnetic material, you can move it to the left or to the right if a corresponding excitation current is sent through them. On the other hand, the coils 30 a, 30 b can be excited in parallel or one behind the other, in which case the slide 18 is driven from each of its end positions to the other.

In the structure according to FIG. 1 became the slide by the forces of the surface tension of the contact liquid in every switch position, d. H. held in contact with the contact 16 and 17, respectively. The slide 18 is namely by the surface tension to one or the other contact 16 or 17 attracted, d. H. to the one closest to him if his position is opposite these two contacts is asymmetrical. In the system according to FIG. 6 to 8, however, there are no two stationary contacts. As long as the switch is in the closed position, the surface tension tends to keep it in the closed position keep. So the problem remains to achieve surface tension forces which the Also hold the slide in the open position of the switch. In addition, such forces should occur before the slide has reached its fully open position, d. H. its extreme right location if consider FIG. 6. The required forces should occur as soon as the mercury layer is between the contacts are torn during a switch opening.

According to the invention, the tube 10 α is made much longer than the slide 18. As a result, when the switch is fully open, the left edge of the slide 18 is behind the left edge of the tube 10 a. Since the surfaces of the insulating ring 70 cannot be wetted by mercury and the inner surface of the tube 10 a and the end of the slide 18 are wettable, there is an area 75 of the smallest dimension, which is formed by the mercury and the edge of the. Tube 10 a and the end of the Slide 18 includes. This surface forms a wall which holds the slide 18 in its right position, and a certain force is required to bring slide 18 to break through this wall during a movement to the left. Inertial forces, as they occur due to the force of gravity through vibrations or impacts, are in comparison to

ίο the surface tension forces due to the low Dimensions of the slide small. Since the slide 18 can be wetted by mercury at its right end, as in Fig. 6 can be seen, the surface tension forces tend to the slide 18 in its hold him back in the right position or push him back into the right position in addition to that caused by the Wall 75 generated forces with a corresponding internal shape of the switch.

Fig. 7 makes the formation of the wall 75 clear, d. H. a free mercury surface of the smallest dimensions, which is then present when the Slide 18 has been moved far enough to the right to remove the mercury layer covering the surfaces 26 and 26 a connects in the closed position to tear. The forces that cause a diminution operate the area, also cause a further movement of the slide to the right until the Surface 75 is flat. F i g. 8 shows the switch in the closed position, in which the wall 75 is no longer is present as a free area, but ends on the electrode or the contact 16.

The dimensions and other manufacturing data are given in FIG. 1 roughly the same as in FIG. 6th till 8.

Claims (7)

Patent claims: 1. Electrical switching relay with an envelope closed on all sides and within the same at least two contacts, of which we-; at least one back and forth to the other can be moved forward, and two layers of electrically conductive liquid insulated from one another with strong surface tension, such as mercury or the like, each of which has a wettable contact is in connection, and with a magnetically actuatable contact, characterized in that that the wettable inner surface of the covering serving as an electrode (10) with the exception of one or two annular, non-wettable insulations, which insulate the electrode (16 and / or 17) inserted into the sheath from the former, from the conductive one Liquid is completely covered in the form of a film and that a magnetically controllable electrode (18, 53) either as on the film of the envelope floating slide (18) with wettable head part (26 a) and non-wettable flanks is provided, which upon contact with the wettable head (26) of the stationary electrode (16) the films of the envelope and the stationary electrode in connection brings, or as a completely wettable, deflectable magnetic wetting (53) against the envelope. 2. Electrical switching relay according to claim 1, characterized in that the casing is designed as a tube closed on one side (10 α) ! 229 ίο is and at the other end a non-wettable by the conductive liquid insulating ring (70) as Completion and isolation of a stationary contact (16) which axially pierces it is that the in the longitudinal direction of the pipe (10 a) floating slide (18) on the the end opposite the stationary contact (16) can be wetted by the conductive liquid and is shorter than the total inner length of the tube (10 a) ·. ίο 3. Electrical switching relay according to claim 2, characterized in that the non-wettable The outer surface of the slide (18) has a channel (20) which cannot be wetted by the conductive liquid Walls and one deeply embedded in it, wettable by the conductive liquid Has element (20 a) and thereby a connection for the conductive liquid between the wettable contact surface (26 a) of the slide and the wettable inner surface of the raw ao res (10 α) is achievable. 4. Electrical switching relay according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the slide (18) contains magnetic material and is optionally magnetically deflectable by a magnetic coil (30 a, 30 b). 5. Electrical switching relay according to claim 4, characterized in that the slide (18) is slidably arranged on a guide track (24) and that only either the slide or the guideway of the contact liquid on the surfaces of possible friction between the two is wettable. 6. Electrical switching relay according to spoke 5, characterized in that the slide (18) a channel (20) is provided and with it an inflow and outflow of one for the contact liquid Point of the guideway to a point on one of the contact surfaces is formed. 7. Electrical switching relay according spoke 6, characterized in that the channel (20) of the liquid is not wettable, but an elongated element wettable by the liquid (20 a) contains and thereby a connection for the liquid between the two points can be produced. Considered publications:
German Auslegeschrift No. 1140 996; Legacy Patents Considered:
German patents No. 1159 071, 1173 162. 1 sheet of drawings 6O9 729/308 11.66 © Bundesdruckerei Berlin